Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday began talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff on ending the Ukraine war, a day after the American official met with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian state media reported Putin's talks with Witkoff began in Saint Petersburg's Konstantinovsky Palace.

Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei told the visiting Pakistani army chief Asim Munir that Tehran would not allow nuclear material to leave the country, according to state TV.

"Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran; such materials constitute a major asset and national wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use within the country," said Rezaei, Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis are fueling an autumn of protests in Europe.

Crowds have protested for weeks in major cities, with some demonstrations marked by arrests, looting, injuries and violence across France, Italy and Albania. In Spain and Portugal, tent camps have sprung up to protest unaffordable housing.

A Russian drone strike near Kyiv has killed three people and wounded four others, Ukrainian prosecutors said Tuesday, publishing images showing the burned-out chassis of a car on a road.

"An enemy drone attack resulted in an impact near the Kyiv–Odesa highway in the village of Chabany, close to a shopping centre," the Kyiv region's prosecution service said on Telegram, reporting that "three people were killed".

Rioters clashed with police, set cars on fire, stormed public buildings and engulfed a historic city hall in flames in France's worst civil unrest in years as violence and looting swept through major cities during nationwide protests.

About 2,400 people were arrested over the weekend, and authorities said thousands of businesses were damaged or looted. The rioting overshadowed demonstrations against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools in which hundreds of thousands of people marched peacefully.

President Donald Trump is hoping that $5,000 checks can juice Republican turnout in November's midterm elections — but even some of his devoted fans are doubting that government payouts would arrive.

"I mean, I guess it's good for some people. I really don't care," said Jamie Alvarez, who attended Trump's recent Alaska rally in a red, white and blue outfit. "I don't feel like your vote should be bought. I feel like you should vote for who you feel is going to do the best job."

Voters in Canada's oil-rich Alberta province overwhelmingly backed remaining in Canada, with early referendum results Tuesday delivering a boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney's push for national unity amid U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and annexation threats.

With more than 1 million votes counted, 77% supported remaining in Canada, while 23% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.

An Australian federal lawmaker remained in a hospital in a critical but stable condition, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday as he praised a barber who helped restrain the driver accused of deliberately hitting the lawmaker twice.

Helen Haines, a 65-year-old independent politician, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV on Monday outside her office in her electorate in the city of Wangaratta in Victoria state. The 43-year-old driver remained in police custody on Tuesday.

The U.S.-Ukraine alliance is careening toward a possible breaking point, with Moscow strengthened by President Donald Trump's recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war.

Trump's relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has always been a moving target, while the Republican president has frequently boasted of his rapport with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. But relations between the U.S. and Ukraine appear to be at a new low, threatening to tip the balance of the war to Russia's favor and imperil America's security interests across the globe.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Oslo to take part in talks Tuesday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Norway and Finland, while Jared Kushner will participate remotely, Norway's government said.

"Ukraine has requested that U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner join the meetings. I am pleased that they are able to participate. Diplomatic efforts have previously taken place in several countries, and Norway and Finland are pleased to be able to continue this work. The aim is to put diplomatic efforts on a more constructive path," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement.